Press Release

Lancelot Leads The Group Into Italy For Round Two

FUNCHAL (PORTUGAL), 14 May 2008 – After round one in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, the first edition of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will be in Mantova, Italy, for round two, taking place this weekend before the month break preceding the French round in St. Jean d’Angely (June 15).

As the series touches the Italian soil for the first time, Livia Lancelot tasted her maiden win in Bulgaria and now heads the points standings.






Livia Lancelot has been waiting for four years before getting her first overall win

Courtesy of her last moto win in Sevlievo, GPKR’s Livia Lancelot eventually won the opening round of the 2008 Championship to lead the standings. The French rider was referred to as one of the favourites for this year’s World Title, with main rivals Yamaha Van Beers Racing’s Katherine Prumm and KTM Germany’s Steffi Laier both being injured.

The two actually won the first three editions of the World Cup, which has now been upgraded to World Championship, with Laier taking the title in 2005 and Prumm in both 2006 and 2007.

As Laier missed Sevlievo, Prumm rode with a broken right ACL, taking a brave fourth overall despite the incredible pain in both heats; she will be back at Mantova chasing better results.

Kawasaki Elf Pfeil’s Maria Franke was solid at round one, taking second overall behind Lancelot; the German will be looking forward to this weekend as it might be her chance to collect her maiden overall win.






The Women World Championship riders heading into turn one at Sevlievo

American Ashley Fiolek was surprising at her very first appearance in the series; racing on a track she had never seen before against rivals she never rode with, the 17 year old put in two good motos to take the third step on the podium, despite being involved in first moto winner Larissa Papenmeier’s crash in the final heat.

The latter damaged her right ankle and did not finish the heat, dropping down to eighth in the standings; Papenmeier is currently resting her foot and will try to ride at Mantova.

Elin Mann now rounds off the top five in the Championship standings, followed by Elien de Winter, Marianne Veenstra, Larissa Papenmeier, Sandra Adriansson and Nicky van Wordragen.






Briefing time for the Women World Championship riders, with Ashley Fiolek on the left

CIRCUITO INTERNAZIONALE CITTÀ DI MANTOVA-TAZIO NUVOLARI AND MANTOVA

The track is named after car racing legend Tazio Nuvolari, as the driver was born and lived in Mantova. It was inaugurated in 1982 after a lot of work had been put in to build it in cooperation with former Motocross World Champion Michele Rinaldi, now the head of the Yamaha Monster Motocross’ team. The ground is a mix between the natural soil (30%) and the sand (70%), which makes it one of the few sandy circuits in the Italian peninsula. The weather forecast predicts rain for the entire weekend.






Mantova is one of the very few sandy courses in Italy

The city of Mantova is named after the Latin word “Mantua”, which refers to an Etruscan god. The city itself has 46.372 inhabitants spread on an area of 63,9 square metres. Mantova is in the centre of the Pianura Padana, the widest flatland in Italy; it is famous for having been the base of the very important Italian dynasty Gonzaga, who ruled the city for four centuries since 1328. Palazzo Ducale was actually built by the Gonzaga and it is still one of the most famous spots to watch once in Mantova, together with the Palazzo Te, the Torre dell’Orologio and the Basilica di Sant’Andrea. Mantova is one of the key cities for the Italian culture, as the poet Virgil and Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna lived there.


THE EVENT’S SCHEDULE

Saturday May 17: Women’s World Championship Free Practice 1 at 9:00 am; MX2 Free Practice at 10:00 am; MX1 Free Practice 1 at 11:00 am; MX2 Pre-Qualifying Practice at 12:00 am; KTM Trophy Free Practice at 12:55 am; Women’s World Championship Free Practice 2 at 1:20 pm; MX1 Free Practice 2 at 2:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 1 at 3:00 pm; MX2 Qualifying Race 2 at 3:45 pm; KTM Trophy Time Practice at 4:15 pm; MX1 Time Practice at 4:40 pm; MX2 Last Chance Qualifying Practice at 5:25 pm; Women’s World Championship Time Practice at 6:05 pm; KTM Trophy Race 1 at 6:50 pm (local time).


Sunday May 18: KTM Trophy Warm Up at 8:30 am; Women’s World Championship Warm-up at 9:00 am; MX2 Warm-up at 9:30 am; MX1 Warm-up at 10:00 am; KTM Trophy Race 2 at 10:25 am; Women’s World Championship Race 1 at 11:10 am; MX2 Grand Prix Race 1 at 12:10 am; MX1 Grand Prix Race 1 at 1:10 pm; Women’s World Championship Race 2 at 2:10 pm; MX2 Grand Prix Race 2 at 3:03 pm; MX1 Grand Prix Race 2 at 4:03 pm (local time).


LINKS
Youthstream
FIM
FMI-Federazione Motociclistica Italiana
DBO


Information, photos and results are online at www.motocrossMX1.com, the official website of the FIM Motocross World Championships.


MediaZone Moto is the leading global online broadcaster of Motocross and SuperMoto events. Fans worldwide can watch the thrills from this and every race of the 2008 FIM Motocross & SuperMoto World Championships LIVE and On Demand exclusively at www.MediaZoneMoto.com.


Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.


www.MotocrossMX1.com

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